WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development urging them include language in the Fiscal Year 2020 spending bill to block the Energy Department from transporting weapons-grade plutonium to the state of Nevada without the state’s knowledge and consent.
“This past fall, the Department of Energy (DOE) secretly shipped a half ton of weapons-grade plutonium to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), despite clear objections from the state of Nevada and without warning state or federal elected officials or first responders, who would need to act immediately in case of a plutonium-related emergency,” wrote the Senators. “We respectfully request that you include the following language in the Fiscal Year 2020 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill: None of the funds made available by this Act shall be used to transport weapons-grade plutonium identified by 50 U.S.C. 2566(c) to the State of Nevada without the state’s knowledge and consent.”
View the letter here, or read text of the letter below:
Dear Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Feinstein,
As you begin to craft the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, we respectfully ask you to include language that would prohibit the use of funds to transport weapons-grade plutonium to the state of Nevada without the state’s knowledge and consent.
This past fall, the Department of Energy (DOE) secretly shipped a half ton of weapons-grade plutonium to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), despite clear objections from the state of Nevada and without warning state or federal elected officials or first responders, who would need to act immediately in case of a plutonium-related emergency.
Although DOE claims that no additional plutonium will be shipped to the NNSS, given the history of DOE misleading Nevada and neglecting to disclose the truth until months later, we respectfully request that you include the following language in the Fiscal Year 2020 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill:
None of the funds made available by this Act shall be used to transport weapons-grade plutonium identified by 50 U.S.C. 2566(c) to the State of Nevada without the state’s knowledge and consent.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
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